Winter Water Changes & Temperature

[ineke]

So how do we send shrimp in winter now that overnight temperatures are dropping to 5degrees?

I would think if you wrap bubble wrap or filter wool around the bag and tuck it in a foam box as per summer they should be fine. If they survived the hot weather I'm sure the cold will be ok too!

[Squiggle]

I've made an airline with an 4mm irrigation tap in it & I can use it on any bucket. I don't think a degree or two colder will be that much of a problem as this would be a natural indication in nature that the rains have come & with a lot of fish this would trigger a spawn, not sure if it triggers breeding with shrimp though :encouragement:

[Squiggle]

Just need to find some thing to suspend the bottle higher than the tank .

Sit it on the lids, easy peasy! :encouragement:

[ineke]

But my bottle will need to be upside down if I use the lid system- might just put a hole in the side at the bottom then it can go on the lid-Thanks Squiggle

[BlueBolts]

But my bottle will need to be upside down if I use the lid system- might just put a hole in the side at the bottom then it can go on the lid-Thanks Squiggle

Oh oh...design fault...LOL:cheerful:

[ineke]

Oh oh...design fault...LOL:cheerful:

You can laugh at my expense BB, Queen of the DIY I am not!!!! The bottle cap with the hole was already there from another DIY thing- moving bed filter- so I thought that would be good.

[Squiggle]

But my bottle will need to be upside down if I use the lid system- might just put a hole in the side at the bottom then it can go on the lid-Thanks Squiggle

Just put more airline in the bottle till it touches the bottom, simple :victorious:

Just make sure you have another hole in the lid to let air back in the bottle, otherwise it won't work once the vacuum builds up inside the bottle :encouragement:

[ineke]

Gee Squiggle your back to being my hero today:encouragement:

[Squiggle]

You're welcome m'lady, Prince Squiggle at your service :victorious:

[gravychic]

I pierced a small hole in the bottom of a 3 litre milk container and stuck a T valve in the hole with alittle bit of airline to drip into the tank

i have it dripping 3 litres over about 18hrs

I have something similar, I use a 3ltr coke bottle with a small hole/crack in one of the bottom 'feet', and adjust the flow with a bit of filter wool jammed into the hole so it drips as fast/slow as I need.

[ineke]

Wow up there for thinking outside the box -nice and simple and does the trick-well done Gravychic

[ninja]

I use a 8lt plastic bucket from Coles and balance it on the corner of tank or on the light. Put an air stone on one end of a piece of airline to weigh it down in the bucket and a airline tap on the other. Fill the bucket with water and suck out the air in the tube and adjust the tap dripping into the tank. The bucket doesn't look pretty, but hey it works a treat.

Also use the same airline to acclimatise shrimp with. Air stone in the destination tank and other end into a container that the bag of shrimp have been tipped into. That container can be placed on a chair or bench alongside the tank if you have one.

Cheap and simple. :)

[ineke]

Good one Ninja I think sometimes we look for the complicated when the simple is the way to go! I have been acclimatising my shrimp by tipping about 20ml of water slowly into the container every 5 minutes or so and take 2-3 hours to do it but then I don't have to worry about time etc. Now with the drip system I won't have to do that anymore. My way worked because thats all I had but some of the ideas that have come up are brilliant.:encouragement:

[OzShrimp]

Good one Ninja I think sometimes we look for the complicated when the simple is the way to go! I have been acclimatising my shrimp by tipping about 20ml of water slowly into the container every 5 minutes or so and take 2-3 hours to do it but then I don't have to worry about time etc. Now with the drip system I won't have to do that anymore. My way worked because thats all I had but some of the ideas that have come up are brilliant.:encouragement:

if you have a sudo breeder box they are really good for acclimatising shrimp. You just set it up empty and pour the water in out of the package then just have the sudo box running on low so they acclimatise over an extended period of time :)

[ineke]

I haven't got one yet but I think one will be on my list of wants soon:encouragement:

[CNgo2006]

It's the Up Aqua "Buffer Barrel". I use it for all my water changes and top ups. It sits nicely on the corner of my small tanks or my sump.

I also have one of these, they also come in a 1l for smaller tanks. Works great because you can mix all required minerals salts etc easily then slowly drip into tank.

[planted]

my shrimp tank is around 400ltrs, this is the method i use :

220ltr ex pickle drum had it for a few years now, plumbed the bottom so that it has a pvc ball valve and quick connect hose connector. i have various lengths of hose with connectors and eheim goose necks and 90 deg elbows to hang onto the tanks, to fill tanks in different parts of the house.

in the bottom of the drum i use an eheim 2215 inline pump to pump water up to the tanks.

the drum is kept in the same room that my 400ltr shrimp tank is in.

the drum also has a 300w heater keeping the water @ 22-23c and a sponge filter to keep the water moving around and to oxiginate it.

drum is just filled direct from the tap, prime added and left to sit for around 2-3 weeks before it goes into the shrimp tank.

last water change interval was 4 weeks, usually do every 2 though @ around 30-40%

works for me, can't remember last time i saw a dead shrimp and breeding like crazy...

in summer i just turn the heater off...

[JohnH]

Just re-read this thread. Is there a reason people aerate their water storage barrels?

[Squiggle]

I do it to keep the water moving & prevent it from becoming stagnant :encouragement:

[BlueBolts]

Just re-read this thread. Is there a reason people aerate their water storage barrels?

Theoritically if storing RO/DI water, there's no need to aerate it, as there no bacteria/ elements so the water can't go "bad" etc.... I haven't got a huge water storage container, so I weekly make RO water....

[ineke]

I store mine in2 and 4 litre bottles and make enough to last the week then refill. They sit in my shrimp room and get only slightly cooler than the tank temperature. I have never seen the water change by more than 1 degree but I add it quite slowly. Now the cold is here I may end up dripping it in.